Avengeress
by Heredith
Summary: As a young elfling, Hitheriel's parents were killed by orcs. Now with two joyous friends who also seek revenge, the faithful yet grim elleth goes on her very own journey of avenging her parents and ruined childhood. But all was changed, when her path was crossed with a clumsy human minstrel's... Set before the events of The Hobbit. Your review will be greatly appreciated!


Flames, dancing bright red upon the grasses. Slowly and gently they devoured the land, beginning with the turfs. One by one they burn the leaves into ashes, so elegantly that it was almost in an exquisite manner. Sparks, tiny asters of dark orange hopped up and down, eager to spend their one second of life shimmering. Shoutings fade away in the black of night.

_Look. Open your eyes wide. Look closely, engrave these images into your mind._

Foul creatures stepped forward, one with pale skin and eyes blood red. In one hand it held an axe, and in another a spear. Blood drooled from both of its weapons, and its body was full of scars. This special orc seems to be the leader of the pack, as it opened its sickening mouth and shouted - "Vrasubatburuk ug butharubatgruiuk!"

_He is the one. He is going to do it, but don't be afraid._

It put its blood-saturated foots on the knee of the fair elf who was lying on the ground. The elf screamed, and begged for mercy in common tongue. The orc's eyes gleamed and, uttering some curses, it ripped the clean clothes of the elven woman open. The woman shrieked in pure horror, and turned away to face the ground, still begging for mercy.

The aqua eyes of the girl quivered, and then settled down again. She hid further more into the trees, preparing for her mother's death.

_Where's Ada?... Where... is him... He is supposed to protect Nana..._

The fair elven male ran towards the intruder with a half-broken sword in his hand. He was shivering, too, for he knew that he cannot fight off this strong enemy with one crippled leg. He struggled to stand, and whispered something towards the elvish woman.

_Ada said 'Dhe melin' to Nana._

The woman crawled towards another direction hopelessly, but with a high-pitched screech and a shackling sound her legs were chopped off by another orc smiling viciously. The man looked back, and gave a cry with all his might.

_Ah! NO! NANA!_

The elleth whimpered, but managed to cover her mouth so that she won't be seen or heard.

For a sudden moment tears went down his face like a stream, desperate and unstoppable. "Elhedril!" He screamed the name of his beloved wife, as his eyes went red with hatred. He bit his lips, so hard that blood went down his mouth. He turned to face his enemies, but it did not took him long to notice with dismay that he was now surrounded by orcs. He gasped, and gripped his weapons even tighter.

_Nana..._

The orc leader walked forward. One step, and another step. He settled his axe to the ground, and leaned on it with a devilish, winning smile. He spatted on the ground, before he started to speak in common tongue: "Now all of us are here, Lulgijak." He went closer. The elven male shivered, but held his sword tight. With a swish the top part of the blade shackled down, leaving him all alone with the hilt unarmed. The elf swallowed, his eyes now is full of rage. The elf threw the hilt to the side, and he paced forwards to meet the orc:

"If you are going to kill me, and my wife, just do it quickly."

_No... Ada... No..._

The girl covered her face and wept soundlessly. She was too young to know that elves have immortal fate, but if it ever come to it, her parents were too weary to return to Middle-earth anyway. At age three, she was about to face death. The lively death of her parents. her father and mother. Clusters of fire gathered, and burnt exhilaratingly into the night. The girl's eyes reflected the confrontation, her chest flowing up and down as she sobbed.

_Watch, look, gaze attentively. Remember it all. Remember what happened. Remember this night._

The orc guffawed, and took off his mask to reveal an absolutely repulsive face. Its dark eyes were caved into its pale face, and it opened its bloody mouth. This orc did not speak for some times, but rather violently grasped the elven man with both of its hands, and clutched at his neck tightly. It smiled, and said in a rather dark, yet joyous tone: "You better remember me, elf-filth. You better remember my brothers. For we'll not only kill you and slash your corpse - I am Dugbúrz, the strongest commander of the Black Tower." It let out a long cry which its fellow creatures rejoiced at, "And now, how do you wish to die?"

_Remember that they killed your Ada and Nana. Remember that name. Dugbúrz. Dugbúrz._

Minor sounds of whisperings came out from the girl's mouth, repeating the orc's names and scribbling it down on her hands, lest she forget it. _Dugbúrz, Dugbúrz, Dugbúrz._

The strong orc banged the elvish man on the ground, and without any hesitation, swished his axe and cleared the head off. Blood spouted out from the neck, and formed a tiny streamlet on the ground. The fire still burnt, now higher and wilder, into the sky, up, up, into the infinite blackness. Upon the killing of the girl's father the orcs cheered loudly, and soon threw the elf's corpse away to the side, away from the circle. Now in the center of it all, was the helpless, legless elven woman.

The girl gasped heavily, and covered her eyes.

_Ada... Don't think about it. Close your eyes. Turn away. Remember, remember that they cut the head of your ada, who chanted songs and told stories just for you, they cut the head of your ada right away. Remember that there were blood. Lots of blood._

"Drop your weapons, scums. We shall feast upon her meat." Dugbúrz laid his axe on the ground and commanded his squad to do this also. Elhedril, the elven maiden, screamed in despair. She groped around for something, and finally found a broken blade. The sharp edge cut her hands, and crimson blood drooled from her hands. She trembled, but managed to pierce the knife into her own heart before the filthy creatures ever laid a hand on her. With one final scream her life was over, and her soul drifted to the West. She dropped the blade, her last gaze thrown faithfully towards her young daughter.

The little girl stood up and stayed behind in the shadows. Looking on towards the scene ignorantly, she shed some tears. She turned away, pacing into the darkness of the woods, unable to face the scene no more. She ran, deep into the woods. At some time she stopped, calming herself down, and started to carve something onto the ground.

_Remember. I remember. I remembered it all. I remembered how ada and nana died. I remembered Dugbúrz._

One by one, she unsteadily carved the letters of elvish onto the grounds. 'I am Hitheriel of Mirkwood. I am alone. My ada and nana are killed by orc hunters. Take me home.'

She stayed in the darkness. Gazing vigilantly around, the girl was unable to recognize where she was. Hitheriel knew that they were getting to the borders of Mirkwood when it happened, but she was yet too young and unexperienced to know what was going on. Far away, sparks of fire were still burning. The Orcs have already left the grounds, leaving a world of sorrow and demise out there. Hitheriel trembled out of coldness, but held onto herself.

_Nana said once, 'What goes around comes around.'_

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><p>The elf guard felt the uneasiness in her heart. She trudged on the borders of Mirkwood, looking out to the far slope lying in her view. She was in her duty as a guard, and she had wandered a bit far today. She intends to tour around half of Mirkwood's borders and then go home, but something had taken her heart.<p>

She felt something, right there, in the bottom of her heart. An apprehension, an uncertainty. She had walked the distance from the Elvenking's Halls now to the Southern part of Mirkwood, where the spiders and dark creatures usually lurked. She gripped her dagger tight for comfort, but this does not rest her heart. She was sweating cold, and she just felt strengthless.

_Something's gotta happen today._ She thought.

It wasn't before long that she discovered with dismay that an elleth was not far from her, hugging her knees and sobbing. The elf guard was astonished. _How would any parent leave their child out this far? _She questioned herself, but decided to approach the girl.

Hitheriel got a shock when a guard walked towards her. So glad she was that she should be discovered by somebody, that she ran straightly towards the kin of her and hugged the elf. She raised her head as the tall elf read her carvings:

"I am Hitheriel of Mirkwood. I am alone. My ada and nana are killed by orc hunters. Take me home." The elf muttered, "Hmm... You're Hitheriel?"

"Yes." Hitheriel swallowed, and answered. Her eyes were swollen, "And I need to go home to my dwelling. My mother is Elhedril, we set out to journey three months ago. Please, help me, mellonamin. Help me to my home."

"Come on, then." The elf guard signaled little Hitheriel to follow her.

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><p><strong>AN: This is my first story! And that's about it for the first chap. Please leave a review, it will be greatly appreciated :D Thanks! -Heredith**


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